Probing surface states of Cu/Ni thin films using x-ray absorption spectroscopy

Surface and interface properties of Cu thin films (1–4 monolayers) deposited on Ni(100) have been extracted by means of x-ray absorption spectroscopy and analyzed in combination with ab initio density-functional calculations. An unoccupied Cu surface state is identified in an x-ray absorption spectra and studied as a function of film thickness. Experimental data is supported by calculations of the layer-resolved density of states and the results from this combined theoretical-experimental effort show that the surface state is almost entirely located on the atomic layer closest to the vacuum. Our results also indicate strong hybridization between unoccupied states at the Cu/Ni interface boundary.